Don’t Cry Now by Linda Ronstadt (Vinyl record album review)

Album name: Don’t Cry Now

Artist name: Linda Ronstadt

Year: 1973

Number of discs: one

Label: Asylum Records

Collection: Selman

Distinguishing characteristics: hole punched through top right of album

Buy it on Amazon: $77.34

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

I’ve never listened to Don’t Cry Now, but this will be the sixth Linda Ronstadt record that I’ve reviewed since June. The other five were:

Different Drum (1974): 5/5

Simple Dreams (1977): 3/5

Prisoner In Disguise (1975): 2/5

Living in the USA (1978): 3/5

Mad Love (1980): 3/5

What I expected

Don’t Cry Now was recorded earlier than any of these, so I guess I expect it to be country rock.

What it was actually like

Most of this record was pretty boring and pretty slow.

More country style tracks included I Can Almost See It, Love Has No Pride and Everybody Loves a Winner. Less country tracks included Colorado and the Eagles cover Desperado.

Ronstadt’s cover of Randy Newman’s Sail Away had more of a gospel sound that I didn’t think worked very well, and her cover of Neil Young’s I Believe in You was a fine version, but not better than the original.

The Fast One, Don’t Cry Now and Silver Threads and Golden Needles were all a little livelier than the rest, and the latter especially was somewhat catchy with a faster tempo, but still very country and with a fiddle solo; I guess it was the best song on this otherwise pretty bad record.

Grade

2/5: weak, but I was able to listen to the whole thing